2017 - Boom or Bust?

I keep a mental list in my head of posts I want to write. Today I am setting those aside as well as deleting one that was a bit of a rant. I can't even remember why I needed to rant! Or felt I needed to rant. Everything is relative isn't it?

Kilally Meadows

My house is small compared to others. But it's warm and cozy and protects me from the elements. Isn't that what it's for?  Millions of people don't have a roof over their heads.

I thought I needed new living room furniture (remember that post?) but when my daughter expressed her sentimental love for the furniture we have I cancelled the pickup. The couches may be a little outdated but they are in good shape, firm and comfortable. I often fall asleep on them. Isn't that what they're for? Refugees have no furniture.

My truck is old and rusty - but it always starts, is in good working order and has never failed to get me from Point A to Point B. Isn't that what it's for? The poor in London are hoping to get a discounted bus pass.

I have read many blog posts over the past week that relay feelings of sadness, depression, illness and injury, lost hope and feeling "stuck". It seems that 2016 was not a great year for a lot of people and 2017 is looking pretty scary, especially if you're a liberal. (That's a joke!)

What do we want for ourselves in 2017? It's pretty much a given that we want to be happy, yet our present circumstances makes that hard at times, if not all of the time. Curiously, a couple of months ago I purchased a journal for 2017 called "Create Your Own Happiness". I think I'm going to need it - I have my own issues with depression/anxiety and motivation and I worry about climate change among other things. From what I've written above I think it's clear that I don't derive happiness from things. I'm grateful I own my home, own Dougie the Dodge and own old furniture. (If I keep things long enough they become valuable antiques don't they?) And I have no debt.

What leapt out at me while reading blog posts today were all of the positive and helpful, supportive comments. We have such a good network here, I know, because I've been on the receiving end of your support during some of the worst moments of my life.

So...what's my point? Do I even have a point? Well, yes I do...we really do make our own happiness. What helps us feel happy? - each of us will have a different list and I encourage you to make one. Some of you already have.
Here's mine: ( in no particular order )

• walking in the forest
• witnessing the return of birds in the spring and watching the plants and wildflowers come back to life
• photography
• trail running, volleyball, hiking, cycling
• yoga, meditation
• travelling to new places and exploring them through long distance walking
• the beach/sunshine
• books
• music/listening and playing the piano
• creating: writing, carving, painting, sewing, journalling, crocheting
• standing up for social wrongs
• donating to worthy causes
• cooking 
• Luna and Lily
• Kazi
• Hannah
• brothers and sisters
• Julie and Troy and Lynnie
• my cyber friends, especially those I have met: Annie, Michelle in NB, Kim and Marguerite in PEI, Johanna (many more I want to meet!)
• my high school graduating class - we still meet up every year
• cousins and niece and nephews
• genealogy research
• good movies
• the poet Rumi
• laughing/singing/dancing
• road trips

Nothing like the antics of an alien-looking wild turkey to make you smile.

Evidence that the deer are nearby even though all I saw were their hoof prints.

I hope you'll make a happiness list and I hope that at least once a day you'll do something from your list to increase your joy. There's a lot of shit going on in the world that we can do nothing about - and that can make us feel helpless. But you can do something about what's going on in your own back yard even if it's just making a cup of tea and reading a chapter in whatever book/genre that interests you.

Today I: walked in the forest, listened to the geese flying overhead, took photos, read the newspaper, had a coffee and Bailey's ;) , cuddled with Lily, spent time with Kazi, texted a friend, stared at the watery version of the sun that was available today, texted a friend, wrote a post.  

Plan to - have a bath with my new Lush bath bomb, watch a movie, read a book, have a shot of Jameson's, and fall asleep probably before midnight!   

I'm so happy I've been able to keep this orchid plant alive and blooming!

More belly rubs coming right up Lily!

Wishing you all a very HAPPY New Year! Let's work on it together and provide support to those who need it, no judgement, no put downs. As if!

Lesson Learned

 I had a pretty tough holiday weekend as you can see...

 My nephew and his partner invited us to their cottage for Thanksgiving.  The sun was shining, the temperature in the mid 20's (celcius!) Lake Erie was calm and soothing...

 The martinis flowed...

 So did the wine...

 After a wonderful dinner of roast turkey, stuffing, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie and whipped cream we sat outside and listened to the waves...they have a chiminea so we sat outside late into the evening...

 We played Taboo (my nephew and I won); it was hilarious. Here I'm peering over Dave's shoulder to make sure he doesn't use any words that are "taboo" in his bid to have his partner (Michael) guess the  correct word. More martinis...

 Monday morning, sitting on the beach...

Monday afternoon, hiking through the conservation area...

A picture of Michael taking a picture of the glorious fall colours...

 What a gift to be able to capture fall's glory on a warm October day...

 We ended up here! What are those you might be wondering?! Well, this is the latest trend in camping...or should I say "glamping"!! Putting the "glamour" in camping! YUP! What's next I wonder? There are a series of tents under those awnings complete with outdoor shower at the back. Each tent is on a hardwood platform and comes equipped with a king-size bed, running water, toilet etc. There is a large central tent for dining and group activities! 


How civilized!!

Seeing this helped me figure out what I am going to do for Michael's birthday in January - we're going WINTER CAMPING!! YESIREE BUB!

At the Pinery, a popular camping destination on Lake Huron, they now have YURTS for winter camping. When I suggested it to Michael he said YES!! He said it just like that - a really BIG YES!! He's been wanting to try it for a while now. I'm pretty excited about it!  


Oh yeah, today's post title reads "Lesson Learned." I don't have the numbers for you tonight as it's almost my bedtime (not even kidding!) so suffice it to say that the lesson I learned is that when there is a major feast day in the month I need to have a larger food and beverage budget than usual. I thought I had everything under control but no...several impulsive purchases put me over the top by around $150 (this is a rough estimate). 


So tomorrow I will input my data to www.spendingdiary.com so I can see the bad news in black and white. 


Nighty night!! 

Fitness Challenge

Had I entitled this post "Scenes from Yesterday's Hike" would you be reading this right now?  You would?  Phew!!  


As part of my effort of getting back into some kind of reasonable shape I have been eating VERY nutritiously and trying to exercise EVERY day for at least 30 minutes. 


At school I go for a 30 minute power walk at lunchtime.  If it's raining, like today, I go to our school's cardio room and use a treadmill. Today's treadmill walk was so much fun (for a change I'm NOT being ironic) as I can see downstairs into the double gym where two boys' physed classes were engaged in a seriously intense game of murder ball. One class was made up of tiny pre-pubescent Gr. 9er's while the other class was made up of hulking bearded Gr. 12's. You might think that makes for an unfair matchup but the tiny little Gr. 9er's were faster and ...well, a much smaller target.  It was truly entertaining! At the same time I was listening to the Bangles on my iPod repeating "Manic Monday" a few times:)


Yesterday my knees were killing me after Michael and I spent several hours at a club dancing til the wee wee hours Saturday night. But, that didn't stop us from going on a 6km hike - it was a glorious day, sunny and mild, and after popping a couple of ibuprofen liquid gels I was all set. I am pleased to report that after four weeks of exercise and good eating habits (mostly good...I am human after all and have indulged in deep-fried icecream and a couple of other tasty treats) I have lost seven pounds. Woo hoo!  Don't get too excited however, I still have twelve more pounds to go...


Here come the nature photos...just letting you know in case you want to go on to the next blog!! 
Or...you can scroll down for the latest newsflash coming straight to you from my source at Jambalaya!! This is real news folks!!

Still lots of flowers blooming!

Decaying log and leaf

Natural sculpture

Uh oh, a three-pronged fork in the road...which way should we go??

Black-eyed Susans

Black and white is beautiful too!

The woods out by Kilworth have many different habitats including this bog.

Wish I'd brought a book - this looks like the perfect spot to relax and read!

Don't know what these flowers are - I thought they were very cool with
different-coloured centers.

Nice landscapes, but are they as beautiful as PEI?

Where exactly is this path leading us?

Ok, this one is in the wrong spot...oh well.  I stopped this morning at the top of the overpass on Quebec St. (for my fellow Londoners...and yes, no one was coming up behind me thankfully) in order to nab this great sunrise. Soon after it was pouring down rain but it was nice while it lasted.

I love the tenderness of life holding death.

Nature: the most incredible arabesque!

Yes, it was as enchanting as it looks!

You can't beat complementary colours for maximum impact!

So delicate - it reminds me of the crochet patterns my gramma used to invent.

It was a very YELLOW kind of day.

Even in death there is beauty.

Marguerite - help me identify this one please! I was so thrilled to find these flowers as I have many of them
in my hedgerow in PEI!

I didn't want to leave - it was the perfect day!

Don't they just make you smile?!

I think the sky is bluest in the fall.

My favourite photo of the day! This photo reminds me of my students - something might be missing but that
doesn't take anything away from their appearance, their joy, their exuberance or their spirit!!

Fragile, yet enduring.

Perky!

The most incredible sculptures are not made by humans.

HAPPY!

Captivating pine trees.

Definitely not ready to call it a day!

But fall is almost here!

Look at the tiny little hooked ends - now I understand how they attach to our clothing!

While I've been typing this Michael has been excitedly texting me from Jambalaya, a London restaurant where he works a couple nights each week. Just before he arrived there tonight there was a STABBING!! involving tenants who live upstairs over the store next door!! One of the kitchen helpers heard the kerfuffle, ran outside, saw what happened and called 911.  Michael says there is a "stakeout" currently happening out front.  Police captured one of the assailants but two others ran off. I guess police are hoping they'll return to their apartment though with them standing out there I wouldn't count on it!! Coincidentally, the restaurant is VERY BUSY, especially the seats by the front window!!


YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!!